Liposuction

Liposuction is the procedure used in Plastic Surgery for the purpose to remove unwanted fat from specific areas of the body. Therefore the aim of the procedure is to correct the shape of less attractive bulging areas.

Conservative procedures such as External Ultrasound Therapy, baths, special massage for cellulite, diet and gym help to keep the body fit and more attractive. Certainly all of them may help for corrections of small problems, however severe problems of body disfiguring caused by prominent excess of fat are congenital and the only effective approach to them is Liposuction by means of suction of the excess of fat cells.

This procedure is performed through a small incision in the skin just large enough to accommodate a small hollow tube called a cannula. The cannula suctions the unwanted fat cells from their position, reducing the volume of the area and reshaping the body according to the plan.

Liposuction can be done on any of the subcutaneous fatty tissue such as the abdomen, waist, hips, thighs, buttocks, knees, arms, ankles, under the chin and the back.

While some patients undergo major liposuction to remove 5-10 kilos of excess fat, most patients prefer to remove small amounts of fat from specific areas. Usually from one hundred grams up to few kilos is the volume of suctioned fat which can achieve excellent results to the body shape.

We are frequently asked what happens to the skin after removal of the excess fat. Is the skin going to hang? The answer is that the skin will appear nicer and smoother as it contracts while the reshaped body heals. Even though it is difficult to prove this scientifically, it is quite easy to count mathematically the surface of the curved stretched area and the straight normal area after liposuction. The difference between them is very small and it is eliminated by the releasing of the previous protruding stretching. Hanging skin may be expected only if liposuction is going to be performed at a bulging area which is already hanging. If this problem is expected to take place, then a skin excision and a lift of the area has to be performed. Plastic Surgery faces this situation some times at the buttocks and the inner thighs after enormous weight loss.

The Tumescent Technique is the best and the most commonly used method to prepare the body for liposuction. For achieving the desired results in contouring certain areas, this technique works by injecting controlled amounts of a special infusion fluid in the fat. The fluid causes the fat to swell such that it is easier to remove. It also numbs and constricts blood flow to the area to avoid blood loss. Because there is no blood loss, bruising is minimal and recovery safer. The medication added to this fluid also reduces the post-operative pain.

Use of calming medication prior to local anaesthesia is highly recommended, providing the best conditions for the surgeon to achieve the best results by using the patient’s help either with some movements or by changing position. Patients in our hands experience a painless procedure, easier recovery, less hospitalisation, and the best results.

After the special infusion fluid is injected in the fat, the cannula is inserted through a small incision near each area. The plastic surgeon uses the cannula to sculpt the body by suctioning the excess of fat cells from the body. This procedure has to be understood like the art of sculpture because fat cells removal has to be precise in order to create the desired body shape.

Depending on the severity of the problems, the type of the anaesthesia, and the desired treatment, the procedure can be performed either as outpatient or inpatient for one night.

General anaesthesia, in combination with the Tumescent Technique, is an alternative for non-calm patients.

Following surgery, a compression garment has to be worn for 2-3 weeks. Under the garment the healing process is smooth, the skin is gradually contracted and the desired contour created by the plastic surgeon is definite.

Although liposuction is performed through small incisions, the procedure should be listed with the demanding operations. Patients are advised to avoid having liposuction performed as an office procedure but in a properly equipped and highly organized center providing the best safety conditions. As any other plastic operation, liposuction needs the surgeon to be experienced and talented.

Liposuction carried out by a talented surgeon, using the correct, modern and delicate instrumentation and technology, by using the Tumescent Technique to prepare the body, is successful and it is the best of all the methods of fat cell removal. Under these circumstances the procedure provides state of the art in body sculpture. Any bruising, swelling and sensitivity are mild and temporary; the recovery period is short.